EP3721736A1

EP3721736A1 - Garment hanging loop, particularly of the chain type

Info

Publication number: EP3721736A1
Application number: EP20167770.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Carmen Toffanello
Original assignee: AMF SpA
Current assignee: AMF SpA
Priority date: 2019-04-08
Filing date: 2020-04-02
Publication date: 2020-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 2040-04-02
Also published as: EP3721736C0; EP3721736B1; IT201900005336A1

Abstract

A garment hanging loop, particularly of the chain type, including a pair of hooking devices adapted to be fastened to a support, the hooking devices being mutually connected by a flexible member. The garment hanging loop includes a rotary coupling means for coupling the opposite ends of the flexible member to the hooking devices.

Description

The present invention relates to a garment hanging loop, particularly of the chain type.
As is known, a flexible element, normally a tape, is sewn in the internal part of some garments, substantially at the connecting point of the neck with the body, for acting as a loop for hanging the garment.
In particular, in higher value items of clothing or in garments made of heavy material, the flexible element is generally constituted by a chain with two rings at its two opposite ends; the rings are sewn to the garment.
Those hanging chain loops of the known art are not free from drawbacks.
First of all, it must be noted that the chain very often tend to become entangled, causing inconvenience and annoyances to the user.
Also, the ends of the flexible element are fastened without play to the garment thereby deforming the garment when it is hung.
Also, a chain loop tends to deform the garment when it is worn or when it is placed on a coat hanger.
In the long term, those repeated deformations may irreparably ruin the garment, causing an economical damage to the user and to the detriment of the image of the manufacturer.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a garment hanging loop, particularly of the chain type, that overcomes the drawbacks of the cited prior art.
Within the scope of this aim, a particular object of the invention is to provide a garment hanging loop that prevents any twisting and tangling of the chain loop.
A further object of the invention is to provide a garment hanging loop which, in addition to allowing to hang the garment, also acts as a customizable decorative component.
A further object of the invention is to provide a garment hanging loop that is constructively simple and easy to assemble.
A further object of the invention is to provide a garment hanging loop that is reliable and relatively economical to manufacture and can therefore be used widely.
This aim, as well as the objects mentioned and others that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a garment hanging loop, particularly of the chain type, comprising a pair of hooking devices adapted to be fastened to a support, said hooking devices being mutually connected by means of a flexible member, said garment hanging loop being characterized in that it comprises rotary coupling means coupling opposite ends of said flexible member to said hooking devices.
Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments of a garment hanging loop according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a garment hanging loop according to the invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a detail of the garment hanging loop according to the invention;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the detail of the preceding figure;
Figure 4 is an exploded sectional side view of the garment hanging loop according to the invention;
Figure 5 is a sectional side view of the garment hanging loop of the preceding figure;
Figure 6 is a front view of the garment hanging loop according to the invention;
Figure 7 is a side view of the garment hanging loop according to the invention.

With reference to the cited figures, the garment hanging loop, particularly of the chain type, according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a pair of hooking devices 2 adapted to be fastened to a portion of a garment, and a flexible member 3 which connects the hooking devices 2.
The flexible member 3 is at least partially formed as a chain having two ends respectively fastened to one of the hooking devices 2.
Each hooking device 2 includes a mushroom-shaped body 4 and a locking ring 5.
The mushroom-shaped body 4 is provided with a shaft 6 and with a head 7, while the locking ring 5 is provided with a hole 8 designed to accommodate the end portion of the shaft 6 by interference.
For this purpose, the shaft 6 and the hole 8 are properly dimensioned in order to lock the shaft 6 in the hole 8.
At least one of either the locking ring 5 or the mushroom-shaped body 4 may be provided with retention teeth 9 adapted to increase the interference between the shaft 6 and the hole 8.
Advantageously, the shaft 6 may also have a recess 10 adapted to cooperate with a complementarily shaped portion 11 of the hole 8, in order to ensure the correct positioning of the locking ring 5 on the shaft 6.
The recess 10 and the complementarily shaped portion 11 keep the head 7 and the locking ring 5 at an appropriate mutual distance, so as to ensure the movement without interference of the end of the flexible member 3 with respect to the hooking device 2, as will become better apparent hereinafter.
Each hooking device 2 also has a retention element 12 adapted to couple the mushroom-shaped body 4 to the support on which the garment hanging loop 1 is fitted.
In the specific case, the retention element 12 may be a nail or a rivet provided with a head 13 and a stem 14 which can engage a receptacle 15 formed in the shaft 6 of the mushroom-shaped body 4.
During use, the support, to which the hooking devices 2 are fixed, is therefore retained between the head 13 of the retention element 12 and the locking ring 5.
According to the present invention, a rotary coupling means 20 is provided between the opposite ends of the flexible member 3 and the hooking devices 2.
The rotary coupling means 20 has a pair of ring members 21 which are joined at opposite ends of the flexible member 3.
Each ring member 21 is rotatably coupled to a corresponding shaft 6, about a rotation axis 100 that is substantially parallel to the axis of extension of the shaft 6.
In practice, each annular element 21 is coupled with play to a shaft 6 and is retained between a head 7 and a locking ring 5.
The assembly formed by each mushroom-shaped body 4, the corresponding locking ring 5 and the ring member 21, inserted between them, can be preassembled before applying the garment hanging loop 1 to the support.
Advantageously, graphic indications 40 may be provided on the head 7 of each mushroom-shaped body 4. The graphic indications 40 have a decorative function and help a correct positioning of each hooking device 2 with respect to the support, as will become better apparent hereinafter.
According to another aspect of the invention, the garment hanging loop 1 has a stop means 30 which limits the rotation of each ring member 21 with respect to the shaft 6 of the mushroom-shaped body 4 with which it is associated.
Namely, the stop means 30 has at least two, preferably four, abutment surfaces, respectively 31a, 31b and 32a, 32b, and one or more teeth, preferably two, respectively 33 and 34.
Each tooth 33, 34 is designed to abut against alternatively one of the two abutment surfaces of the same pair, respectively 31a or 31b, or 32a or 32b, depending on the configuration that the garment hanging loop 1 assumes.
The abutment surfaces 31a, 31b and 32a, 32b are substantially parallel to the rotation axis 100 and are arranged so that each pair forms a circular sector with an angular extension that substantially corresponds to the rotation arc allowed to each ring member 21 with respect to the shaft 6 of the mushroom-shaped body 4 with which it is associated.
In the specific case, the circular sectors have a breadth comprised between 90° and 150° and preferably equal to approximately 120°.
In the example considered, the abutment surfaces 31a, 31b and 32a, 32b are formed by raised portions 35, which are mutually diametrically opposite and protrude from the lateral surface of each shaft 6.
The teeth 33, 34 are provided on the internal surface of each ring member 21.
It would be evident to the person skilled in the art that, according to a further embodiment not shown in the drawings, the raised portions 35 and the corresponding abutment surfaces 31a, 31b and 32a, 32b may be formed on the annular elements 21, while the teeth 33, 34 may be provided on each shaft 6.
It is also evident to the person skilled in the art that the abutment surfaces 31a, 31b and 32a, 32b and the teeth 33, 34 that cooperate with them, may vary in terms of number, type, shape and placement, without departing from the inventive concept.
The operation and the use of the garment hanging loop according to the present invention are simple to understand.
Preferably, at the time of purchase, the garment hanging loop 1 has the flexible member 3 fitted with a corresponding partially preassembled hooking device 2 at each of its two ends.
More precisely, a ring member 21, coupled by means of a locking ring 5, is mounted with play on the shaft 6 of each mushroom-shaped body 4.
In order to fix the garment hanging loop 1 to the support, it is therefore necessary to establish an appropriate distance between the two hooking devices 2 and insert the stem 14 of each retention element 12 in the receptacle 15 of the corresponding mushroom-shaped body 4.
Preferably, the distance between the two hooking devices 2 is shorter than the length of the flexible member 3, in such a manner that the flexible member 3 is slightly slack.
The two hooking devices 2 are oriented so that the bisecting lines of the circular sectors defined by the abutment surfaces 31a, 31b and 32a, 32b provided on each shaft 6 are substantially mutually aligned and coincide with each other.
The graphic indications 40 mentioned above, provided on the head 7 of each mushroom-shaped body 4, facilitate the correct orientation of the two hooking devices 2.
The correct orientation and the alignment of the graphic indications 40 of the two hooking devices 2 can in fact correspond, for example, to the alignment of the bisecting lines.
When the garment hanging loop 1 is installed correctly, it can be used to hang the garment by means of the flexible member 3.
In the illustrated example of the garment hanging loop 1, at rest, the ring members 21 are arranged with the teeth 33, 34 in abutment against the two abutment surfaces 31b and 32a respectively.
Once the garment has been hung, instead, its weight causes the flexible member 3 to be deformed and causes the ring members 21 to rotate with respect to the respective hooking devices 2 until the teeth 33, 34 are in abutment against the two abutment surfaces 31 a and 32b respectively.
The presence of the rotary coupling means 20 and of the corresponding stop means 30 therefore allows a controlled relative rotation between the ends of the flexible member 3 and the hooking devices 2.
This, combined with the correct placement of the two hooking devices 2, allows to keep the flexible member 3 always in a correct position, preventing any unwanted twisting and tangling.
The garment hanging loop 1, according to the invention, also allows to provide markings, logos and customizations on the head 7 of each mushroom-shaped body 4, also giving the product a decorative value as well as a functional one.
The garment hanging loop 1 is constructively simple and, since it is partially preassembled, also easily fitted to the garment.
In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, providing a garment hanging loop that offers different and substantial advantages with respect to traditional garment hanging loops of the chain type.

Claims

A garment hanging loop, particularly of the chain type, comprising a pair of hooking devices adapted to be fastened to a support, said hooking devices being mutually connected by means of a flexible member, said garment hanging loop being characterized in that it comprises rotary coupling means coupling opposite ends of said flexible member to said hooking devices.
The garment hanging loop, according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said hooking devices comprises a mushroom-shaped body and a locking ring, said mushroom-shaped body having a shaft and a head, said locking ring having a hole adapted to receive the end portion of said shaft with interference.
The garment hanging loop, according to claim 2, characterized in that each of said hooking devices comprises a retention member which engages a receptacle formed in said mushroom-shaped body, said retention member fastening said mushroom-shaped body to said support.
The garment hanging loop, according to claim 1, characterized in that said rotary coupling means comprises a pair of ring members joined at the opposite ends of said flexible member, each of said ring members being rotatably fastened to a shaft of a corresponding mushroom-shaped body about an axis of rotation that is substantially parallel to the axis of extension of said shaft, each of said ring members being arranged between the head of said mushroom-shaped body and a corresponding locking ring.
The garment hanging loop, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a stop means adapted to limit the rotation of each of said ends of said flexible member with respect to said hooking device to which it is fastened.
The garment hanging loop, according to claim 5, characterized in that said stop means comprises at least two abutment surfaces and at least one tooth that is adapted to abut alternatively against one of said abutment surfaces, said abutment surfaces being substantially parallel to said rotation axis and being arranged so as to define a circular sector with an angular extension that substantially corresponds to the arc of rotation that is allowed to each of said ends of said flexible member with respect to said hooking devices.
The garment hanging loop, according to claim 6, characterized in that said at least two abutment surfaces are defined on said shaft and said at least one tooth is provided on said ring member.
The garment hanging loop according to claim 6, characterized in that said at least two abutment surfaces are defined on said ring member and said at least one tooth is provided on said shaft.
The garment hanging loop, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said flexible member comprises a chain.
The garment hanging loop, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said mushroom-shaped bodies bears graphic indications adapted to facilitate the correct positioning of each of said hooking devices with respect to said support.